In reply to TobyA: I had the opportunity to try a Neoshell jacket for 12 hours last-night. Initially I liked the fabric, finding it comfortable (it does soften up and the stretch/against skin feel is quite nice). It does bead water like nothing else I've seen before as well, but this is just a coating which will inevitably wear off.
However...
It isn't windproof. It does feel cold against the skin, and on top of the fells with my back to the wind my neck was like ice. I've never noticed this before in all the years of wearing various shell garments. It was uncomfortable and very cold against my neck. Colder than just the wind itself (I understand this will be a combination of damp as well as wind, but never felt "warmer" by taking the hood down before!). If I was wearing it over just a base layer (as I often do in summer or when moving fast and light) I'd have needed to add another layer.
After 2-3 hours walking in proper damp (continuous drizzle, wind and hill fog) I sheltered for a break. The jacket was damp inside. All over. I was wearing a micro fleece and 200 weight fleece underneath it, and between the fleece and the neoshell it was really damp/wet. Between the two fleeces was dry, and even my baselayer felt dry except for the usual pits and back. Looking at the way the jacket was beading water, I can only assume that this dampness was from sweat (I was quite warm but certainly not hot).
At the end of the night (12 hours later) it was damp, clammy, and quite cold inside the jacket.
This is the sort of typical British weather that we get, on the fells, in the dark, heavy hill fog, wind and rain. Wearing nothing fancier than fleeces, carrying a 45 litre pack. Just the sort of place where you want to pop a shell jacket on and feel warm, dry, and protected. Unfortunately I didn't find this to be the case with neoshell. The reduction in wind-proofing just doesn't cut it for me, and it was at the expense of no more breathability than my active shell. The reduction in windproofing alone might not have been such a problem if it had been dry inside the jacket, but combined with the damp it acted like an air-conditioning unit. Not want from a shell jacket.
In comparison, I have an active shell jacket and haven't noticed the same. It's totally windproof, totally waterproof, and I think it's actually more breathable...
I also had a pair of Event trousers on, and (as always) found them to be dry inside (no sweat at all), totally windproof (just light walking trousers underneath) and completely waterproof (despite plenty of use and not a lot of washing!).
It's a shame because I quite liked the "stretch" of the fabric in terms of comfort, and it doesn't flap in the wind like my other shell jackets.
I'll be trying it on a run tonight, as I guess that's where it might come into it's own, but for typical hillwalking and climbing etc, in typical fell type conditions, it won't be one I'd recommend.